100 



doubt of those stars being suns like ours, each re- 

 spectively having planets of their own, which revolve 

 around them, and form various solar systems, more 

 or less resembling that of ours. All philosophers 

 at present admit of this theory : and even less 

 philosophic mituts begin to render this conception fa- 

 miliar to them, thanks to the elegant work-ofM.de 

 Fontenelle. 



4. And this notion of a plurality of worlds, was 

 generally inculcated by the Grecian philosophers. 

 Plutarch, after having given an account of it, say?,. 

 " That he was so far from finding fault with it, that 

 he thought it highly probable there had been, and 

 "were, like this of ours, an innumerable, though 

 not absolutely infinite multitude of worlds, where- 

 in were, as well as here, land and water, invested by 

 sky." 



5. Anaxirrencs was one of the first who taught this 

 doctrine. He believed that the stars were immense 

 masses of fire, around which certain terrestrial globes, 

 imperceptible to us, accomplished their periodic revo- 

 lutions. It is evident, that by these terrestrial globe?, 

 turning round these masses ot fire, he mi ant planets, 

 such as ours, subordinate to their own sun, and form* 

 jjjg along with him a solar system. 



6. Anaximenes agreed with Thales in this opinion, 

 which passed from the Ionic to the Italic sect; who 

 held that every star was a world, containing in. itself a 

 sun and planets, ail fixed in that immense space, which 

 they called ether. 



7. Hcraclides and all the Pythagoreans taught the 

 same, that every star Mas a world, or solar system, 

 having, like this of ours, its sun and planets, invested 

 with an atmosphere of air, and moving in the fluid 

 ether, by which the.y were sustained. This opinion 



